Materials

Procedure

Step 1: Collecting

Use a big plastic bag. To keep your specimens cool, you can mist
them with a little water or put a damp towel in the bag.

For conservation purposes, pick only a few specimens of a single
plant. For collecting purposes, it is important to collect the entire
plant.

Record the location and habitat of the specimens collected (e.g.,
on the bank of a pond).

Lichens keep well in small envelopes.

Once back at school, if you do not have time to continue the activity
for a day or two, close the bag and put it in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Pressing

Place the specimen between a sheet of newspaper folded in half. Fold
the plant so it does not stick out past the edge of the sheet (e.g.,
the stem of a cattail would be folded in two or three).

Place some felt under and over the sheet.

Do the same with the corrugated cardboard.

Repeat these steps for each specimen.
Special case: to press algae or other aquatic plants, use a container
that is several centimetres deep. Place a piece of paper on the bottom
and add the water that has the algae. Carefully lift the paper while
trying to centre the plant. Place the paper between a sheet of folded
newspaper.

Loosely fasten the press.

Step 3: Drying

Place the press 3 m from a fan so that air passes through the corrugation
of the cardboard.

The felt will absorb the moisture. Twenty-four hours is usually enough.

Tests for plant dryness:

Open the press and touch the top of the sheet of newspaper. If it
is still damp, continue drying.

Take out the leaf and hold it horizontally. If it stays in this position,
you can move on to the next step. If the leaf droops, you need to continue
drying for 24 hours.

Step 4: Mounting

Use an ordinary binder and perforated paper that is protected in
clear plastic sleeves.

Glue each plant to the paper with little drop of white glue on the
back.

Label each plant with the following:

Name of plant

Location

Habitat

Date

Name of student.

It is always interesting to illustrate the type of habitat observed
by starting the binder off with a few pictures taken during the field
work.

An index can be added once the plants have been identified.

Store the binder in a dark place (e.g., a drawer) because light will
fade specimen colour.

Step 5: Identifying

Suggested References:

Farrar, J.L. (1995). Trees in Canada, Ottawa,
Fitzhenry and Whiteside Ltd. and the Canadian Forest Service of Natural
Resources Canada. 502 pp.